Automotive Blog Automotive Blog brings you the latest news, car reviews and information on the automotive industry.
How you could save £750 per year in tax and fuel by ditching your petrol or diesel car and switching to an electric vehicle…
British motorists are missing out on savings of almost £24.5 billion every year by not taking advantage of ultra low emission motoring, according to new research.
The government and car industry-backed Go Ultra Low campaign figures show that while the average cost to fuel a petrol or diesel car is around 12p-per-mile, it costs as little as 2p-per-mile to run an electric car.
With the average car travelling around 7,500 miles each year, the difference in annual spend between the two options is £750, or tens of billion of pounds, if spread across the UK’s 32.6 million cars.
“After buying a house, a car is the second most expensive purchase that most of us will ever make. Consumers are therefore looking for an option that gives them better value for money on an ongoing basis”, said Hetal Shah, Head of the Go Ultra Low campaign.
“With fuel costs from just 2p-per-mile, no road tax, no congestion charge and free parking in many locations, electric cars certainly present a compelling proposition. Put simply: the more you drive, the more you save.
“Added to that, there is now a whole host of electric vehicles available to suit any lifestyle, from city run-arounds and family hatchbacks to 4x4s and sports cars.”
An ‘ultra low emission car’ produces 75g or less of CO2 per kilometre from the tailpipe. At the moment, all cars which can achieve this use electric power – from 100% electric cars to plug-in hybrids and extended-range electric vehicles.
However, other studies have shown that the main deterrent to driving electric vehicles is still so-called range anxiety, where drivers are put off by fears over a lack of charging points.
That said, the number of charging points is growing by the day and the electric car market is booming. The latest industry figures show that 14,500 electric cars were sold in the first of 2015 – a rise of 350% compared to the same period last year.
